Put simply, they’re driving without car insurance and there’s no way we can tell.

You Can’t Tell

That’s right, there is no way for the average person to determine if a car has auto insurance coverage in force, unless the license plate reads I-N-S-U-R-E-D (just kidding).

There are no publicly accessible databases or websites out there that keep a running list of who does and who doesn’t carry car insurance.

Often times, we find out the hard way that a person is driving uninsured. It may go down like this:

1. Someone causes an accident and damages your car. 2. You try to exchange insurance company information. 3. The shyster who hit you says they don’t have insurance, but wants to pay you in cash for any damages. 4. You agree, and then never hear from the person again after calling the fake number they gave you.

The Cops CAN Tell

Many states are now switching over to electronic insurance reporting systems. This means that every insurer in the state keeps a live record of who does and does not have car insurance based on vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for all vehicles registered within the state.

So a police officer can check your tags while driving behind you and instantly determine if you have car insurance.

You better believe that you’ll be on the side of the road receiving a ticket in no time flat if you don’t have coverage (or don’t have proof of insurance).

But only the police have access to this sort of information. We, the general public, should not expect to gain access to this sort of information anytime soon, aka, never. Technically, it’s none of our business.

How Do We Stay Protected?

There are a few options made available by insurers to protect against the uninsured or underinsured drivers on our streets and highways.